Jordy Arthur | Fashion Talent with a Voice

During Pride Month, we had the pleasure of collaborating with @jordyarthur_, a young, promising, and eccentric designer and content creator. He runs his own @ja_academy_, where he shares tips and tricks on designing and sewing. Jordy’s content is always inspiring, and he never hesitates to voice his beliefs about the LGBTQIA+ community.

While Pride Month may have ended, the need to raise awareness hasn’t. It’s important to continue advocating year-round for equal rights. We refuse to contribute to a world filled with hate towards any community, religion, or race. What brings our community together is a shared love for beautiful fabrics, respect for a centuries-old craft, and our creative minds.

#creativemindsunite

We believe everyone should have the freedom to be themselves and do what they love. Jordy embodies this perfectly. His vibrant personality lights up our showroom whenever he visits, and his creativity seems endless.

We recently interviewed Jordy to hear his thoughts on Pride, how it influences his creativity, and what’s next for his fashion career. Read on to see what he had to say…

What does Pride Month mean to you?

“I don’t often express my political views, but I feel it’s important to voice my beliefs during Pride Month by claiming space for my ‘presence’ (~French). Personally, I may not have to fight daily for who I am, but I’m very aware that many people still do, and that those before me had to. That’s why I make a big celebration of Pride Month every year. Pride Amsterdam is the highlight of the year for me! It’s great to not feel like a ‘minority’ during such an event. If people stop and stare, it’s for all the right and positive reasons—they’re appreciating my style or my flamboyance, not reacting with disgust or thinking I’m strange.”

Why is this so important to you?

“I may feel accepted today, but that might not be the case tomorrow with elections and the rise of extremism. It’s vital that we don’t go backwards and lose the rights we’ve fought for. We should be striving for more equality for all human beings, not just those who are considered ‘normal’ by society.”

How important are your self-made looks in expressing your personality?

“I am who I am, and I don’t feel like I should have to fight for that. I don’t want to overthink what I wear, so I just do it. I share my outfits, my self-made looks, and my creative process on Instagram, and I do it in my own way, without judgement. I want to spread my creativity like confetti and encourage others to do the same.

People should form their own opinions about my content. Sometimes I lose followers because of it, but I don’t care. If you can’t accept me for who I am, then you don’t belong here.”

You’re considered an upcoming talent and part of the group the media called “THE LIMBURG SIX.” Can you tell us more about that?

“That’s a fun story! We’re just a group of friends who met early in our fashion careers. We started hanging out at the same events and stores, and it just clicked—we became this ‘core group’ everywhere we went. We’ve always talked openly about our goals, failures, and successes, and we support each other in building our fashion businesses.

One day, the Belgian press reached out to do an article about the six of us. They coined the term ‘THE LIMBURG SIX,’ and it just stuck, hahaha!

We meet regularly to share knowledge, tips, advice, or just to blow off steam. Not everyone understands the frustrations of the fashion industry—there’s plenty to be upset about, hahaha—so it’s great to have friends who get it.

And it’s not all complaints! We also celebrate each other’s successes. There’s plenty of wins too!”

Why do you think people are so drawn to the six of you?

“The fashion industry can be tough and cutthroat. There’s a lot of competition and bias, but we’ve chosen not to get caught up in that toxic energy. We keep things fresh and positive to maintain our creativity, and I think that energy is contagious.

We’ve been asked to be ambassadors for the Week of Belgian Fashion in October, which is such an exciting opportunity to show young professionals that you don’t need to live in a big city or adopt a harsh attitude to succeed in fashion. We love working on this together! It’s another way to grow, support each other, and inspire others while doing what we love.”

What’s next for your career?

“The next step is to grow my business on multiple levels. I love making and sharing content, and I want to keep developing that side of things.

My classes and pattern offerings at the academy are expanding as well. Collaborating with exciting brands allows me to inspire others with my designs and teach my followers how to put their own spin on their (or my) creations.

What I dream about most is seeing people wear my designs wherever they want. Slowly but surely, I’m building my own brand with my own collection. My ultimate goal? To make a BIG impact on the fashion industry with a small impact on the planet.”

Why do you love shopping at The Fabric Sales for your designs?

“There’s so much to choose from! I can spend the whole day in the showroom and feel like a kid in a candy store. The fabrics are modern and high quality, which is hard to find these days. Whatever the project, you know it’s going to turn out great because of the exceptional fabric quality. I also love that everything is deadstock, so I can contribute to a cleaner fashion industry. Knowing which designer originally owned the fabric is a fun bonus!”

Are there particular types of fabric you tend to use?

“Cotton and tulle!

Cotton is so fun to work with. You can create complex structures, it’s easy to sew, and it’s comfortable to wear.

Tulle lets you add all the volume and drama you could want—and you know I love drama!”

What are your top fabric picks?

• Rick Fire Orange Abstract Linen Blend 
  I made a summer look with this one!
• Elton Grey Striped Cotton Poplin
  It’s waiting in my fabric stash for a cool design. You can never go wrong with striped cotton—it’s so versatile!
• Sever Electric Blue Polyamide Tulle
  What can I say? I just love tulle!
  
  

If you could give our community one sewing tip, what would it be?

“Stay calm and breathe, hahaha!

Whenever I get stressed or frustrated with a project, the best thing I can do is step back. I’ll go for a walk, have a coffee, or leave it for the next day. The worst mistakes I’ve made have been when I pushed through while stressed, like cutting the wrong pieces or sewing sleeves onto necklines, hahaha. So BREATHE and RELAX, and everything will turn out fine!”

We had such an inspiring conversation with Jordy and can’t wait for his next visit! In the meantime, you can check out his content at @jordyarthur_ and @ja_academy_ and shop our Pride selection at thefabricsales.com.